orchids

Orchid Seed Pod

| mosslike

​​#OrchidSeeds 

Came out after running this morning to an open (partially) seed pod! In this video, I open it up all the way and you can see the MILLIONS of seeds contained within. How ever, orchids seeds are naked and created without their own nutrition or defense mechanism. They are meant to blow around the forest until landing by chance on a surface, usually a tree trunk or branch, that already has the proper fungus that will support and protect the growth of the seed into a plant. Most orchids for sale are propagated in sterile settings using flasks and nutrient mixes. Unfortunately, I completely waste these millions of seeds by sprinkling them all over the mother plant, hoping by some small chance she has kept a supply of that particular fungus nearby. I WAS gonna join the local orchid society this past spring so they could help me find a place to flask them, but my antisocial nature kept me away. Maybe next time 👻 Thanks for reading. #plants #orchids #botany #fungus #nature #seeds #pollination #flasking

Popcorn Orchids

| mosslike


When I was growing up, my Popo grew orchids. On one side of the house were the giant yellow Oncidium “Popcorn” orchids.  On the other side was the screen house with numerous Cattleya and Anthurium.  She hung old nylon stockings full of chicken manure in the screen house for fertilizing. 

The popcorn flowers were grown along with the red torch ginger with one purpose.  To decorate graves.  And it seemed that whenever the holidays or Memorial Day would come along, there would always be plenty of flowers to use. 

I have fond morning memories of my Popo misting her orchids with a hose spray every morning while listening to Hawaiian music and smoking cigarettes.  And she put a LOT of evaporated milk in her instant coffee too… us grandkids learned early on how to use the pump pot to make her coffee, and the lighter to help light the cigarettes.  I liked tasting the coffee after making it and feeling all grown up.  

Her kitchen was painted yellow and overlooked the Oncidium.